Business briefs: breakfast and real estate

Attention Village at Mammoth. You have a new option for breakfast.

The Smokeyard is now serving breakfast Friday through Sunday.

Lunch’s wife said, without prompting, that it is the best breakfast in town.

Chef Art Ortiz, who was recruited to come to Mammoth by owners Guy and Alon Ravid two years ago, kept the plates coming at us, from a veggie omelette to tri tip and eggs to an assortment of waffles (try the peanut butter spread).

But what’s nice about the brunch over there is the space, the bright sunlight, the excellent service.

G.M. Alexis Van Veen started at the Smokeyard as a bartender when the place first opened and has been there ever since. The Ravids have placed a real emphasis on promoting from within (outside of their recruitment of Ortiz) and this emphasis has paid off in the vibe and atmosphere of the place.

The Ravids have wanted to do a breakfast for years, and feel that now the time is right with Ortiz, who formerly opened 12 Yardhouse restaurants in Southern California, and Van Veen in place.

It also, says Guy, gives him the opportunity to give his employees more hours, which might tip them into having one job (at Smokeyard) versus two or three all over town.

Meanwhile, the brothers have opened a new restaurant just outside Boston in Burlington, Mass. It’s called “Slow Bones.”

Bush finds niche at MVP

I never had to worry about having to choose a realtor, because when I got married, my wife already had a realtor, Sandi Forstenzer. Her realtor became mine. And I was grateful for it, grateful at having the decision made for me, and grateful when Sandi shepherded us through the process of buying a house – a house I imagine we’ll never leave (by choice anyway).

But the idea of choosing a realtor has always seemed daunting to me – because you want someone who intrinsically understands you, whom you trust absolutely, to help you make one of those key major life decisions.

With this as backdrop, I recently spoke to Sonja Bush, a realtor for Mammoth Village Properties. And you know what? Sonja would’ve worked for me, too.

Real estate is a second career for Ms. Bush, who spent 28 years in the cellphone business in Southern California before moving to Mammoth.

Sonja and her husband John have been married 32 years. Currently, they do a lot of commuting as he has maintained his financial services practice in Bakersfield while Sonja has transitioned up here. When he retires, he will move to Mammoth full-time as well.

The couple first visited Mammoth with their high school ski club and started dating the week after high school.

So … 28 years, 32 years … pretty easy to gather that Sonja is loyal and committed.

While she says the current market is flat in terms of price, both the amount of inventory and average days on the market are trending downward.

As of last month, she said there were 87 open condo listings, down from 140 the year before.

Bush says 90% of her sales are 2nd homes/vacation homes. Most of her buyers are cash buyers making discretionary purchases.

In her experience, 90% of the job is matching the buyer to the place. She usually starts off by showing five properties in the same approximate price range and having her customer rank them. In the ranking process, she can start to zero in on what factors influence the rankings so if she finds a later match, she’s got it all on file.

Often, she says, it can be a few years between someone looking at a few properties and then the right property coming up.

You can find Sonja at Mammoth Village Properties across from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Her number is 661.979.9000.